Larry Gordon. Sather was hired JUST before the 80 draft where they picked Kurri etc...

Quote:

Originally Posted by RangerBoy

Gorton is one of 5 guys who are up for the job.

Use some logic, man! "If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen" means that there's nothing to be done about it. They're allowed to talk to him. So if it's gonna happen, there's an upside. There's nothing he said stating that it WILL be happening.

Oh yeah, and on topic... I hope Smith gets the job. I have no idea why he's been out of a job for so long, even before the Islanders brought him in.

Smith will not work well with Sather, I am rooting for Gordon there.
Luc Millbury (Mike's son, works for AHL Sound Tigers) called Smith "a terrible person". That doesn't disqualify Smith, but made me doubt that he was fired because of Wang's plan to suck for years.

Should the proposed new owners of the Florida Panthers ever complete the deal and get NHL approval, Neil Smith will be back as their general manager, hopefully for longer than the three weeks he worked for Charles Wang in Long Island

"Of course giving Sather cap space is like giving teenagers whiskey and car keys." - SBOB"Watching Sather build a team is like watching a blind man with no fingers trying to put together an elaborate puzzle." - Shadowtron
I still think there should be a section of people at MSG behind the visiting bench, in curly wigs, and dark rimmed glasses, calling themselves the Pidtophiles. - Zamboner

neil deserves a job as a gm in this league no matter what people may think of him. he constructed a cup winner, and was always a class act when it came to respecting the Ranger oganization and representing it. after the debacle on the island i hope he is given his chance.

I will be rooting for the Cats if they hire him as their GM. I was always a big fan of him. Neil messed up in the late 90s, but he was a good GM before that.

Sather was in charge of the hockey oepration when they acquired Gretzky and Messier. Larry Gordon had the General Manager titkle but Larry (who is a really good guy) was a business manager and not a hockey guy., And anyway, my mother could have scouted Gretzky.

I'm a huge Neil Smith critic, though I'd agree with you on everything after "cup winner" as I think Messier and Keenan constructed that, but don't wish to get into that debate. Give Smith a chance in Florida, he deserves it. I truly believe the debacle on the Island happened because he had the integrity to disagree with the idea of building a losing team.

How can you throw out a comment like that and in the same breadth attempt to stop a counterpoint? So what I understand you to be saying is that your two guys made the GMing decisions and Smith was along for the ride, correct?

The fact that you stated clearly you are a Smith hater invites posts and in my mind deminishes the weight of your POV. I'm no Smith lover either, but I'd trade him for the Baffoon from Banf-f-f in a NY minute.

Smith will not work well with Sather, I am rooting for Gordon there.
Luc Millbury (Mike's son, works for AHL Sound Tigers) called Smith "a terrible person". That doesn't disqualify Smith, but made me doubt that he was fired because of Wang's plan to suck for years.

I'm a huge Neil Smith critic, though I'd agree with you on everything after "cup winner" as I think Messier and Keenan constructed that, but don't wish to get into that debate. Give Smith a chance in Florida, he deserves it. I truly believe the debacle on the Island happened because he had the integrity to disagree with the idea of building a losing team.

How can one casually diminish the massive role Neil Smith played in constructing NYR's Cup team?

He entered the picture in the summer of '89, if I'm not mistaken, on the heels of the brief, ill-fated Esposito era. The team proceeded to win three division championships in the ensuing several years, including '94.

He made the trades, he drafted solidly. And he found the right coach for that team at the start of their ascent (Roger Neilson) and again when he had assembled a veteran team that needed a kick in the ass heading into the 1993-94 Cup season.

Sorry. It's intellectually dishonest to ignore his massive role in building that championship team.

Good for Neil. I met him a few times last season at MSG (I believe he was doing some scouting), very nice guy. I had my criticisms of him here during his time, but he was here for the Cup victory and he's a classy guy. I wish him well.

Had the pleasure of meeting and hanging with Neil Smith at Messier's induction. Neil was there with his son. At the time the whole buzz around the Hall of Fame was of Neil "probable" to take over as Leafs GM. Of course that didn't happen, but he was very openly discussing it with us saying he was overly anxious to get back in the game. I'm glad he made it back. The NHL is a better place with him in it. Hope he stirrs it up right away with some big moves.